New Technologies to increase modal shift

Lighter, stackable, and without the need for a ramp, the Nikrasa 3.0 system is ready—a solution from TX Logistik (Polo Mercitalia) for loading non-liftable semitrailers onto trains without the need for a crane. Given that 90% of semitrailers cannot be lifted, the Nikrasa system will significantly aid the modal shift of freight traffic toward rail transport over long distances, reducing congestion in terminals. In 2023, another 500 units of this innovative platform are expected.

 

Optimized after four years of market experience, the current version of the system features a transport base for the semitrailer that is much lighter, weighing less than 3 tons. This allows for more cargo to be transported by rail. Additionally, thanks to the bottom-lifting system, all semitrailers, including those with a frame, can travel by rail. The lifting base does not add height to the trailer, so transport occurs within the same authorized dimensions, allowing it to travel on all European routes, including tunnels, without any modifications.

 

Given the problem of terminal congestion, another key feature of the Nikrasa 3.0 system is the stackability of the base on which the semitrailers are loaded and unloaded from the train. This means that in destination terminals, the Nikrasa system will occupy very little space on the ground.

 

It is an advanced technological innovation that helps increase the share of goods transported by rail, particularly on long distances, and integrates transport systems all the way to the final mile.

 

This is one of many tools developed by Polo Mercitalia of the FS Group to make the sector more competitive and to achieve the goals set by the UN Agenda 2030: increasing the current 11% of freight that currently travels by rail.